Reflections of personality functioning in psychological testing of disadvantaged three to five year olds

Psychological assessment with preschool children provides a unique opportunity to observe developmental conflicts before the defensive organization of the personality is fully formed. Specific sub-tests of the WPPSI and Merrill-Palmer Scales have been observed to evoke behavioral expression of phase-specific conflicts. Clinical observations of a disadvantaged inner-city population suggest that what is being tested is the child's experience with adults in the sphere of object relations, and not cognitive functioning per se.